WEBINAR - Australian Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants (ALEC) - Microplastics Research Projects - The Hidden Hazards

Jaye’s talk will explore how your choice of beverage container may affect your health. Learn about the widespread presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in different packaging materials, from glass to metal. Discover the first findings of bisphenol A (BPA) isomers in drinks and find out which beverage container exceeds the new guidelines set by the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA). Understand why your choice of beverage container matters and how to choose safer options for your health and well-being.

Subharthe’s presentation will reveal the fate and transport of microplastics within Australia as he discloses the movement of microplastics in groundwater and surface water. He will also discuss how we may be drinking plastics from our favourite bottled water brands. These revelations redefine our comprehension of environmental contamination, highlighting the omnipresence of microplastic and their profound impact on our surroundings.

Note: We regret the pricing error in our previous email invitation. Please kindly refer to the correct pricing for this webinar on the right hand side. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Our Speakers

Jaye Marchiandi, PhD Candidate

University of Melbourne

Jaye Marchiandi is currently in his final year of his PhD at the University of Melbourne (Australia). Jaye’s research focusses on developing methods to assess the risk to public health and the environment from endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with a focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), bisphenols, parabens, UV-filters amongst other chemicals. Jaye has been passionate about environmental research since starting his studies at RMIT University in 2015. Since starting his PhD in 2019 he has published his work in many of the top journals in the environmental science field that includes Journal of Hazardous Materials, Environmental Pollution, Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health amongst others. Jaye is beginning his postdoctorate at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in March 2024 working on the EU-funded EXPANSE project which will study the urban exposome of 55 million Europeans using in-depth omics analyses.

Subharthe Samandra, PhD Candidate

University of Melbourne

Subharthe is an environmentally conscious scientist, part of the Australian Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants who is in his 2nd year of PhD.  Since 2018, he has been actively researching the presence of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and microplastics in the environment and consumer products. Currently, he is collaborating with Agilent to further improve the 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging System for microplastics analysis.  He graduated with a Master of Industrial Research in 2022, where he partnered with Eurofins to develop commercially viable analytical methods to identify and quantify microplastics in various matrices. Subharthe has published both peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters; his work has been accepted by some of the top journals in the environmental science field including, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Marine Pollution Bulletin, and Science of the total Environment. His most cited work was the first in the world to document microplastics in a groundwater aquifer that was not exposed to the atmosphere. Subharthe has won numerous awards with the highlights being the 2022 SETAC AU thesis prize and the 2022 ALGA Innovation award for “Australia’s First Laboratory for Microplastics Testing for Environmental Samples”.